From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
Your comrades have vanished. One is outside having their organs removed, but you have been left. It seems such a shame to waste all that hard work on securing the barracks afterall. The monsters know precisely what it feels like to be abandoned even when you're still useful. Perhaps that's why you're where you are, huddled inside.
Then again, perhaps if you'd known this was going to be your tomb, you would have spent your time differently. A few paintings, perhaps?
The barracks are surrounded. The ground vibrates with the drone of synchronized feet. On the roof all manner of limbs scatter about, reused and sourced from whatever was available. The monsters outside are as motley a crew as those within—not that this makes it a fair fight by any means.
Non-ascended inhabitants of the HG who are still in the HG may join this KQ, however ascended can only join the KQ into which they've been placed!
For this KQ you may attempt to run away/leave the KQ, but know that you might not be successful and that the consequences of this may be more dire/dangerous than should you remain.
This KQ, like all others, will be dangerous. You have the option of not joining, but know that this will effect the overall success of what the ascended are trying to achieve this LongNight!
So that nothing is missed, please include a summary of what your character currently has with them. Make sure this information is correct, as you won't be able to later add in items. For all subsequent posts, please include a summary of actions taken, and if items/upgrades/abilities are used, please copy/paste the description of the item/ability/upgrade
You have 24 hours to reply before you will be skipped. No posting order for this round.
02-14-2021, 04:54 PM (This post was last modified: 02-14-2021, 08:18 PM by Mabel.)
MABEL
They came.
An expectation, but the reality was no greater. For all her relative stoicism, her fingers shook, trembled, held the throwing knives against her palms tightly, until her knuckles were far more than white. She’d grabbed hold of some other things in the armory, a bow with an assembled set of arrows were strung over her shoulder, rope bundled into her pockets, just in case, and her pocketknife.
And while the world vibrated around them, the heavy, leaden sounds of anything and everything from above, her eyes went to the elders. To Bastien, to Samuel, and to those she didn’t know at all, presuming they’d understand the right course of action (if there were any at all – a game for them to lose). “What do you want to do?”
--
Mabel comes with:
- A set of throwing knives
- Bow with a quiver of arrows
- Pocketknife
- Some rope
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
Anyone looking to Sam for guidance would be sorely disappointed.
His mental state had already been beyond fragile, but the sight of Osozo outside, stripped and displayed like a sick trophy, had shattered what remained. This was hopeless; he had told them all, had warned and fought and suffered for telling the truth, but they were still here - and not going to make it to the end. Sat in the most distant, dark corner from people he could find, he curled up, knees to his chest and hands in his hair, and shook.
Millions of possible presents passed through his head, other places he could have been if he hadn't let himself get suckered into this. More in those imagined dreams, Sam would need to be shaken out of his state if he was to be much use.
--
Sam is having a bit of a mental breakdown in the corner.
Sam has:
Type: Grey
Leather Prosthetic | Made to look like a glove placed over missing fingers, it also has the ability to move small objects telekinetically within a five-foot radius. (Made by Deimos)
Type: Grey
Holographic Force field Upgrade | the user can project a spherical forcefield around them. Objects and matter can pass through it, but when organic matter does it will receive an electrical shock as long as contact is made
Type: Grey
Crystal Jar – Capable of keeping food or plant life contained within fresh and safe from decay. Made by Deimos.
02-14-2021, 05:46 PM (This post was last modified: 02-14-2021, 05:48 PM by Bastien.)
With your big heart, you praise God above, but how's it working out for you, honey?
Bastien had one concern on his mind, and that was keeping Azrael safe. Osozo's fate had been grisly indeed (or what he had heard of it. He had stayed inside, caring for his child and trying to comfort those that were more fearful), and a mounting horror threatened to grasp him, just like it had Samuel; he fought it off. He couldn't let Azrael see him scared, not when he knew he would be what his child was looking to for comfort.
"We will be alright, Azrael." He said softly before standing at Mabel's question, looking about to the people left in the barracks. Of them he was one of the oldest (at least in terms of human lifespans), on the council and probably one of the most outspoken; Bastien felt a heavy responsibility to take charge here, though he would gladly give away that title to anyone that wanted it.
"Has anyone seen properly what it is we are facing outside? Perhaps we could find a way to safely look. Before we make any plans, we need to know what we are dealing with." He said, keeping his voice calm and low, methodical, as if he planned attacks against evil monsters every day.
--
Bastien asks if anyone has seen the monsters outside, and if not, if they can devise a way to safely get a look at them.
Bastien has:
Type: Grey
Hover Plate | A thin sheet of elegant metal that acts as a hover board when stood upon by an ascended. Ascendeds can control the height (max. 3 ft) of the board, as well as its direction and speed (speed is equal to the rider's). To a non-ascended, nothing happens when it is stood upon.
Type: Light
Safrin's Light Conjuration Ring | An opal ring that emits a starry-light up to a radius of 20ft and works in magical darkness
Type: Grey
Dark Sphere | When the button on this small piece of tech is pressed, all light within a 5ft sphere is immediately darkened regardless of conditions. Ascended can still see.
Type: Grey
Signal Blocker | This chip blocks the biological signal from being sensed by the LongNight monsters once. While this chip is implanted the ascended is effectively invisible to the creature.
And a heavy wooden staff for whackin' things with.
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off
Already, this had gone wrong. Morgan had expected to be fighting under Wessex's command, close enough to Neron to keep an eye on him (after all, for all her insistence of democratic reasons for this trip, that was why she was really there). Instead she was left behind with a seemingly random selection of Ascended, none of which she was familiar with. There was the child she had briefly spoken to before, who she did not think would be much use in a fight, then several others - none of them looked like hardened warriors.
Still, she wasn't about to back down. Hands tight around her hammer, she stood by the door, ready if anything tried to get in. The man that stood made a good point, but without the Ascended ability to see in the dark and not really knowing what the monsters looked like anyway, she wasn't going to be able to answer his question. Instead she stood ready, Morgan acting as sentinel for the access points. In a moment of forethinking she pressed in her pendant, armouring her torso in case of an attack.
-
Morgan stands by the door (on the inside) with her hammer, ready to fight anything that breaks in.
Morgan has:
Type: Light
Heat-Cloak | A magical cloak that always keeps the wearer warm.
Type: Grey
Amor Pendant | A pendant that hangs over Morgan’s chest. When pressed, it magically armors her torso down to her hips. (Made by Deimos)
And her trusty warhammer!
But I still wake up, I still see your ghost Oh Lord, I'm still not sure, what I stand for
and the sky was littered with the corpses of stars
They’re not sure what they’ve expected, to be honest, but it definitely wasn’t to feel the droning of synchronized feet, the pounding of limbs along the roof. They don’t know what comes next, but they certainly swallow down everything else for swift determination, looking to their father as Bastien addresses them. He says they’ll be alright and Azrael believes him, nodding quietly.
As for seeing what they’re facing, they shake their head, their bag close by as they go to reach for the trinket that Wessex had given them, just in case something broke in. They do a quick body scan to ensure everything internally is in order, before they’re standing and peering at the door that Morgan stands before, wondering if perhaps opening it would be a horrible idea and if so, if they could use the monster repellant and have it work.
Azrael has their upgrade as well as:
Type: Grey
Monster Repellant | Will make the air hostile to the senses of any predatory monster-like creatures. Sufficient strength and mental fortification can overcome the effects of the spray. Works in a 30ft radius.
Half of them just vanish—poof, gone, and Aamu casts wildly around for the most important of them all. She's not difficult to spot, and he pads up behind her. Fear of insulting her be damned: the world is vibrating to the rhythm of their hunters, the barracks are shaking with their hunger.
Aamu wraps an arm around Mabel's shoulders, pulling her back towards his chest, mindful not to damage the bow or quiver. She'd asked a relevant question, Bastien gave a decent answer, Sam's having a breakdown, Azrael's just a child... Fuck, even Mabel's just a child.
He sets the butt of his pilfered halberd against the ground and looks around at them. Aside from the non-Ascended by the door, they're not exactly fighters. "We should fortify the place," he says. Decides. Something. They're trapped, like pigs in a pen. "Fortify and just wait out the sunrise. There's nothing we can do against these numbers in open battle. Come on, let's see what's around."
Briefly, he wraps both arms around Mabel in a proper hug, before disappearing to find more spears and halberds, shields, anything they can use to fortify the ceiling, doors, the boarded up windows.
Aamu hugs Mabel and says they should fortify and hope the building will last the week. Then he goes to find stuff they can fortify with, like halberds and spears.
Aamu is a lucky HG kid
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
Elide's not so sure now. She was beginning to think she'd be hurled into the midst of the action, but this... is not that. She should be relieved in that regard but, she's not.
"They already know we're here, I think; they must be looking for a way in..." she murmurs, not to anyone specifically; a warning to be ready. Her gaze stretches about the barracks. It looks fortified already but, again, she's not so sure.
Holding her axe at the ready, Elide begins to deliberate around the barracks as Aamu suggests - but she's not looking to fortify. She's looking for weaknesses, a tear in the walls or windows, a sneaking figure, monsters that may have already breached their defenses.
Coming upon Samuel, she stops to stare at him for a moment. "You should get up, join the others," she says neutrally before moving on.
Elide is prepared to do battle! She patrols the barracks with her axe in hand, looking for anything suspicious, pausing only to make a suggestion to Samuel.
She's bringing:
- a one-handed war axe
- a crossbow and quiver of bolts
- leather and gambeson armor (which she is wearing)
- the magical crystal, which is storing mastered fire given in redemption burns hot and bright
Type: Grey
Magical Crystal (1) | When (abandoned) magic is cast at this device, it can store the power and reuse it as controlled by the wielder. (Made by Remi)
It'd be a lie to say I spent my season doing anything remotely useful to this cause, such as it is. No, you see, 'NeW fAmiLY' or not, I prioritize me. And me had been having a lovely time, making drinks and singing songs and generally trying to keep the mood light and airy.
Oh, and stashing knives. Lots of knives. You can never be too careful.
Let the heroes have their fun. I've made a makeshift bar in this sad excuse of a hideout, and now as everyone gets their panties in a twist I stand behind it making drinks. Yes, I know we can't get drunk, but it's the principle of the thing. Better to dwell on the memories of intoxication than the disemboweled creature hanging on a stake outside, or Edy's unknown whereabouts, or--
Ahem. Bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other, I sashay over to Samuel and settle on the ground beside him. "Here, sugar- have a drink."
Ezra has alcohol. And like 7 knives stashed on his body. He's mostly here to look pretty
i may not be everybody's cup of tea but i'm someone's double shot of tequila
02-15-2021, 03:52 PM (This post was last modified: 02-15-2021, 03:52 PM by Mara.)
we need love, but all we want is danger. we team up, then switch sides like a record changer
"Get the fuck up." Mara snarls. Ezra might be all about the soft approach, what with his wine and pretty looks, but there is absolutely no time for this. Stomping over, you aim a kick for one of Sam's legs. "Only the kids get to cry in the corner." She adds in a voice that's probably meant to be kind, but comes out just as dark.
"Listen, they've never been able to come in before unless we open a door. So password or no, we all just fucking sit tight. If we've done our jobs in prepping this place, the worst they can do is just bang around outside." There's a pregnant pause after having said this. A right? that Mara can't bring herself to say.
Because if the answer is no, with both the A and B teams gone, they're absolutely fucked.
Mara has herself.
the rumours are terrible and cruel, but, honey most of them are true
The world grows quiet, save for the muffled breaths of those of you have forgotten you have no need to breathe.
"We all know how this ends..." It's Rexanna's voice. "The strongest of us haven't survived in the past...there is no hope for any of you. Come, open the door. At least make it quick." The sound of a hand tries the doorknob. "Bas...bring Azrael out..we can be a family again..."
Meanwhile, fingers and tails, tongues and teeth are investigating each and every crevice of the barracks. Nothing is ever infallible, and one PQ will not protect you against a hoard of monsters.
Please keep your posts as concise and clear as possible. Remember, this is a KQ. You can spend words on introspection later. Keep things action-based, and refer to the KQ guide in the guidebook for information about our expectations.
If I don't specifically say how your character has evaded an attack, or where the damage is, feel free to add this flavour in yourself!
and the sky was littered with the corpses of stars
They remain where they are, prepared and ready, head turning swiftly toward the door at the voice that reaches them. Part of it is vaguely familiar, but they don’t recall much of their upbringing until they’d had a bit of a growth spurt. Still, internally, they know that it’s the voice of their mother, enough so that it draws the pinch of brows from them and their head tilting back toward Bastien in confusion.
They’ve never done a LongNight before, but they had heard that the monsters are crafty and have used bodies and voices of people that have passed before. So they sidle a bit closer toward Bastien, reaching out with a hand to grasp onto their father’s own, their other hand reaching for the monster repellant in case the creature breaks through.
“I don’t think we should open it…” They say without much conviction, turning to stare back at the door with the repellant prepped just in case.
Azrael preps their monster repellant spray and says that they shouldn’t open it hnnnng.
Type: Grey
Monster Repellant | Will make the air hostile to the senses of any predatory monster-like creatures. Sufficient strength and mental fortification can overcome the effects of the spray. Works in a 30ft radius.
Citizenship Ability:
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
Neither Ezra's kind offer of a drink nor Mara's kick would do anything to rouse Sam from his depressed slump. He just rocked with the impact, shaking his head and curling tighter in, ignoring it all - that was, until he heard Rexanna's voice. Odd, sing-songy and just not right, as the monster's imitations always were, but close enough to his old friend that his eyes snapped up to stare at the door.
They were so, so fucked. He'd known that for a while, but seeing everyone standing there, still and scared and confused, while they were taunted just really rubbed it in. Sam closed his eyes, sighed and stood, going to stand before the fireplace. There was a very low simmer in it (after all, the Ascended didn't need the heat), but enough to get a flame if it was needed; he bent and took a piece of wood from the edge.
"...I know how I can get them away from here and hurt some of them, if no one else has any ideas." He offered, turning back to the group. "I'm willing to...go out there with the fire."
They weren't making it out of here anyway.
---
Sam stands up, goes to the fireplace and says he will run out with fire in order to hurt the monsters/leave them away if people want.
There were suggestions. There was silence, stillness, and then the aching flood of panic.
Rexanna’s voice at the door. The knob trying to turn. The weight of other things manifesting in Mabel’s mind. She didn’t want to die again. She didn’t want any of them to be flung out of this wretched place. There was no intention of opening any damned thing. Out there, they’d have no cover. Nothing at all. Nor was she going to look out any window.
She only leveled a glare at Samuel, because that whole notion was stupid.
Aamu’s comfort (while shortlived) was appreciated, gave her a moment to relish in the mention of fortifying. Her eyes darted around – at tables, at chairs. “Let’s barricade any doors.” They’d boarded up the windows, blacked them out already – but the thought of anything sliding within had her restless, needing to do something other than curl up into a useless ball, or let someone else march out to a certain death.
So Mabel went to grab at anything mobile, intending to shove tables or chairs up against the front door.
--
Mabel tries to start barricading the front door with tables and chairs.
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
